Legal action against CPS employees who are interfering with the migration to the new system, said Social Development Minister Susan Shabangu. Picture: David Ritchie/ANA Pictures

Cape Town - Social Development Minister Susan Shabangu on Thursday said they were taking legal action against Cash Paymaster Services (CPS) employees who are interfering with the migration of beneficiaries from the old CPS card to the new system.

At a media briefing by members of the inter-ministerial committee on comprehensive social security, Shabangu said while progress had been made in migrating social grant beneficiaries from the old CPS card to the new Sassa (South African Social Security Agency) card being issued by the SA Post office (Sapo), interference was taking place at pay points.

"There's a particular form that needs to be filled for you to give consent if you want to be paid in a particular way. They [CPS employees] do this by encouraging Sassa recipients to fill those forms then give them authority to continue to be part of CPS," said Shabangu.

"In some of our pay points, cases have been opened but we have also filed some of these matters with the Constitutional Court in making sure that we inform them that CPS continues to try and go back or lure our beneficiaries to go back to them."

The migration was necessitated by a Constitutional Court order that Sassa's contract with CPS was invalid, giving the former until March this year to ensure a new electronic payment system is implemented through Sapo. The CPS contract for cash transfers to recipients is, however, still valid until September.